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5 Ways to Stay Motivated and Prevent Burnout When Running a Small Business

Running a small business can be stressful – there is no doubt about that. Not only are you working against limited budgets, but you are also working against the clock. As a small company, you need to meet deadlines and client demands or else the competition could take your place. Indeed, no matter what industry your small business is in, it is a truly a dog-eat-dog atmosphere that is all about survival of the fittest. For this reason, it is incredibly important to avoid what is known as burnout, which is characterized as a combination of physical and emotional exhaustion. Here are five ways to stay motivated and prevent burnout when running a small business.

Start the day off right. If you run a small business in your home, it is even more critical that you start the day off right. So, instead of jumping right into the day’s tasks, you want to do little exercises to keep your mind focused and to get your body ready to take on the day. You may want to think about stretching, doing light exercises and eating a big healthy breakfast.

Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is critical when it comes to avoiding and preventing burnout. When you are exhausted, your stress levels are at an all time high, which can make burnout a real risk, especially if you are trying to meet a tight deadline and you have a lot of projects to complete. Without enough sleep, it will be impossible to take on these tasks. So, you want to make sure that you get at least eight hours of sleep each night.

Don’t take on more than you can handle. When you run a small business, it can be easy to say ‘yes’ to each and every project that comes your way. However, if you just can’t fit these extra projects into your docket, you want politely tell clients to sign up for the waiting list. Taking on extra projects could drive your stress and anxiety to all time highs. In most cases, you’ll know when enough is enough. When it comes down to it, there are only so many hours during the day.

Hire some motivators. Having some motivation in your life can really put you in the position of running your business more efficiently, so that you can push yourself, but not to the point where you burnout. For instance, you can hire a career coach to get you through some of the more tough decisions. When choosing a career coach, you want to do your research and due diligence. For instance, Catalyst Action Coaching, LLC, has some amazing consulting services for small businesses and small business owners.

Take a vacation. Once a year, you may want to think about taking a vacation. In fact, you might want to go somewhere tropical. When you get there, you should immediately turn off and hide your phone. In the end, you want to leave your worries far behind, because there is a strong chance that you deserve it.